Environmental ethics in Islam: principles, violations, and future perspectives

Abstract

The aggressive manipulation of the natural resources in Kuwait and the destruction of the southern Arab marshes in Iraq, are two recent environmental disasters in the Arabian Gulf region. This paper elaborates some important principles of environmental ethics in Islam and shows some examples for which development of new Islamic thoughts in environmental ethics seems to be essential. As there are common futures with shared possibilities and common threats with equivalent adverse outcomes, the whole process of self‐correction needs the input of the West and of Christian views on the environment also. Given the global impact of the environmental crisis, international cooperation is urgently needed to avert environmental dangers which need not arise and environmental dangers which already exist but which must be mitigated and avoided.

Keywords:

• Kuwait
• Iraq
• Arab marshes
• Oil well fires
• Environmental ethics
• Islam
• Christianity
• Natural resources

Acknowledgement

The author would like to express his deepest and sincere gratitude to Dr Michael Brett‐Crowther (Editor, International Journal of Environmental Studies) for his continuous support, guidance and encouragement for the idea of this paper to appear.